Fast Track To Work Newsletter
Cabrillo
College
Spring 2007
Hello my wonderful students!
New Student Paperwork Process
Thanks to all of your wonderful feedback on how to streamline the student
paperwork process, we have taken
your recommendations and implemented them. By Fall 2007 we will be
a one-stop office for most of you.
Thank you for your feedback—great
teamwork!
We are growing…
Fast Track To Work is growing! This
year we have over 337 students and
have tripled the amount of Grove
Scholar students. We have hired Karen
Farrow, our CalWORKs Work Study
Job Developer, Caitlin Alastra, our
Office Specialist, and Kate Sandusky
our part-time Office Assistant. Alicia
Hernandez, our Program Specialist has
a new office and job responsibilities
and we are about to complete our remodel in the front and back offices.
Important Dates
5/5
DEADLINE TO WITHDRAW FROM
FULL TERM COURSE
5/28 MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY
5/29 FINAL EXAMS BEGIN
6/1
GRADUATION
6/2
SPRING SEMESTER ENDS
6/18 SUMMER SESSIONS 1 & 2 BEGIN
7/4
FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY
7/13 SESSION 1 ENDS
7/16 SUMMER SESSION 3 BEGINS
7/27 SESSION 2 ENDS
8/10 SESSION 3 ENDS
9/3
LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
9/4
FALL SEMESTER BEGINS
By Catherine Lachance
Early Childhood Education/CDC
TANF Grant
I would like to remind all of the CalWORKs students who are majoring in
Early Childhood Education that I have
scholarships for you! These scholarships will pay for books, transportation, conferences, and supplies. Please
contact me if you are interested in participating in this grant or join us here
at FTTW on May 3, 2007 from 1:302:30 P.M. for the orientation meeting.
Grove Scholars
Andy Grove, founder and former CEO
of the Intel Corporation, and his wife
Eva share a belief that career-focused
education is honorable and important
and that high school students weren’t
being supported enough in pursuing
career-focused college education.
Thus, they established the Grove
Foundation and began giving scholarships to high school seniors who
wanted to pursue a career-focused
college education. To date we have 67
Grove Scholars in the FTTW Grove
Scholar program. These students are
majoring in nursing, radiology technology, construction, public safety, fire
technology, construction management,
and medical assisting. On Thursday,
April 26th at 5:30 P.M. in the Horticulture Center here at Cabrillo College,
FTTW will host a celebration to honor
the new Grove Scholars who will be
starting Cabrillo College in the Fall of
2007. All Grove Scholars are invited to this event. This program
continues to grow and this year has
been expanded to include high school
juniors who would like to attend
Cabrillo College.
Continued on back
A Message
from the
front Office
Well you’ve probably noticed some
changes in the front office if you’ve
had a chance to come in the office
lately. We moved the furniture (so
yes, you are in the right office) and
switched some staff around. Alicia is
now working in the back office and
Kate and I are working in front. If
you have any questions or concerns,
you can reach me directly at
477-5190 or send to my email:
caitlin.alastra@cabrillo.edu
Hope you are all having a great
spring semester!
Caitlin Alastra, Office Specialist
Reimbursements Now
Fast Track To Work will now be handling
WIA Reimbursements. We used to
send receipts to your ETS workers to
process but we will now process your
receipts for reimbursement at Fast Track.
Please bring in ORIGINAL receipts.
We also need proof of payment for
any transactions completed with a
check or a credit card. This means we
need a copy of the check (front and back)
or a copy of your credit card statement
showing the charge. If you use cash to
complete a transaction, the receipt needs
to note this. We will need you to sign a
claim form for each reimbursement.
Please note that if you leave receipts in the drop box, you’ll have
to return to Fast Track to sign a
claim form.
We still send your mileage reimbursement forms to your ETS workers. You
only need to fill out the attendance forms
if you are eligible for mileage reimbursements.
We are also handling ECE Grant Reimbursements. We need original receipts
and proof of payment for check or credit
card transactions for these reimbursements also.
Fast Track To Work Newsletter
Maria Fernandez Wins
Women’s Opportunity Award
from Capitola Soroptimists
Maria “Chayo” Fernandez received an award from the Capitola Chapter of Soroptimist International and a grant for $1,500. Maria is now eligible for additional
awards at other levels of the organization. In addition, Soroptimist International
grants three $10,000 finalist awards each year. In total approximately $15 million
in Women’s Opportunity Awards has been disbursed to over 22,000 women since
the program began in 1972.
Maria, one of our star students, spoke from the heart about how she has had to
overcome severe hardships in pursing and achieving her educational and professional goals. She has worked very hard to succeed and plans to transfer to the UC
system and major in engineering.
Maria was honored at a dinner on March 27, 2007 at Peachwood's restaurant in
Santa Cruz. Maria’s mother (Maria De La Luz Ortiz) also attended and was very
proud of her daughter.
Soroptimist International is a global organization for women in management and
the professions, working through service projects to advance the human rights and
the status of women.
Karen Farrow,
CalWORKs Work Study Job Developer
Community Resources
& Scholarships Binders
Grove Students’ Spring Semester
Bowling/Meeting Event
Do you need information about
resources in our community?
Come on in and check out our two
community resource binders.
You’ll find information about:
Parenting  Health  Counseling
Finance  Government Services
Drugs and Alcohol Abuse  Legal
Community  Education and Jobs
We also have a binder full of
scholarship information. Find tips
for applying and scholarship
sources at Cabrillo College and
local agencies.
Jennifer & Caitlin
Chris
Fast Track To Work Newsletter
Grove Students’ Spring Semester Bowling/Meeting Event
Belinda and her son Zephyr
Alberto & Chris
Claire & Nana
Norma & her sister Dalia
Adam
Alicia & Claire
Davis
Alberto
Paul & Catherine
Fast Track To Work Newsletter
Our Wonderful Interns Say Goodbye
Since August of last year, I have acted as
a social work intern here at Fast Track,
offering counseling and case management services to each of you whenever
that opportunity arose. Now, the end of
this internship approaches. I am sad to
be leaving such a wonderful place! I
have enjoyed all of you students very
much, and will miss the Fast Track staff
as well.
As the school year draws to an end, I
want to let everyone know that my internship at Fast Track will also be ending on May 10th. I am going into my
final year at San Jose State in the Masters of Social Work program and expect
to graduate in May 2008. Next year I
will be doing my internship at Santa
Cruz County, working in the field of
Mental Health.
If any Fast Track participant would like
to receive counseling services, there is
still time for you to come in for some
sessions. Feel free to call Nana or Jennifer. We will be here until May 15th. You
can reach us through the general line:
831-479-6344. We would also be happy
to help you find a resource within the
community and arrange services for
you.
Working with everyone here at Fast
Track has been a wonderful experience.
I have enjoyed meeting many of you
during this year at Cabrillo and I wish
you all success with your future studies
and with your future careers. It’s been a
real great experience getting a chance to
work closely with some of you and getting to know you better. I will miss you
all but know that you will be well served
by the team at Fast Track. Work hard;
dream big and reach for the stars!
I send each of you best wishes. May
your future career and family life be
filled with joy and blessings. I look forward to seeing you at work in our community!!!
Nana Montgomery
Hope this newsletter finds you well. If
you haven't been to the FTTW office in
the last few months then you should
make an appointment to check-in on
your education plan and map out upcoming coursework. Remember that I
am available to see you throughout the
semester to answer questions and offer
resources that you may not even know
exist. Need a tutor? Car repair? Childcare issues? Don't be shy. Call for an
appointment. Remember that my
schedule gets very full in the beginning
and end of every semester, so call now
for an appointment @ 479-6344.
Office Hours:
MONDAY
8:00 A.M. TO 5:00 P.M.
TUESDAY
8:00 A.M. TO NOON
1:00 P.M. TO 5:00 P.M.
WEDNESDAY
8:00 A.M. TO NOON
1:00 P.M. TO 5:00 P.M.
THURSDAY
8:00 A.M. TO NOON
1:00 P.M. TO 5:00 P.M.
FRIDAY
8:00 A.M. TO NOON
Jennifer L. Walker
Have You Checked-In
Lately?
Regards, Claire Rubach, MSW
Words of Wisdom
From Shelly Skye
Hike more and wear sunscreen!
Graduation
Continued from front
This year we look forward to seeing
you at graduation. At the rehearsal
for graduation please look for us in
the gym—we have a gift for you! After
the ceremony, please visit our FTTW
booth—we would love to get a picture
of you! See you at the graduation!
Congratulations!
Tips for coping with test anxiety
The Spring is my favorite time of the
year. It means wild flowers, longer
days, warm evenings, spring showers,
the end of a semester, and for some a
new beginning and ending all
wrapped up into a graduation day.
The Spring is also a time for those
end of the year tests, papers, essays,
and projects that have deadlines that
pressure even the most organized.
Please remember to Breathe! Get
plenty of rest and sleep! Eat before
an exam! If you have studied it—trust
that you know it!—breathe! And most
important, reward yourself after the
exam—breathe—breathe—breathe.
GOOD LUCK! I know you can do
it!
Catherine Lachance,
FTTW Services Coordinator